Passing

This Mr.M typing just a quick note to say Ladkyis passed away of Friday

Edward James Charles Sinclair

I can't give you a picture because I don't have one. Perhaps Len and Bren have one in their collection or Bernard and Veronica, or Andy and Jayne or even Gareth as he has his mother's photographs.

It's funny how your mine wanders isn't it? Mine sometimes disappears for days. Well, I was watching a BBC programme called The Repair Shop where people took their most treasured artifact to experts and they repaired and restored them and I wondered if I should give it a go and have the painting that my Dad said was done by Joseph Hennah repaired. This set up a train of thought, bear with me

Dad always described the painting as "Done by Joseph Hennah, he was Joan Sinclair's father."
Now as anyone with the slightest interest in family history will tell you those words - he was Joan Sinclair's father - will get the researching tastebuds flowing. So I had a little look. you can look here for some of Joseph Hennah's paintings if you like. They are lovely.

Now for the research bit.
Joseph E Hennah was born 12 Jan 1896 to George and Mary Ann Hennah and in 1911 he is age 15 and living with his parents and siblings at 20 Raglan Street Newport. For those who don't know Newport this is in the area known as Pill. At some time in the dim and distant past this was welshified to Pillgwenlly. probably because the name for an inlet in an estuary is called in English a Pill - in fact there is a village on the estuary of the River Avon near Bristol called Pill. I digress.
In the 1911 census Joseph is a Light worker. His father is a ship painter and his older brother Charles is an Iron Ore worker. I wonder if they worked across the river at Orb works ... again I digress.

Edward James Charles Sinclair was born in 1917 and his birth was registered in Romford, Essex. I know, that was a surprise to me too. We know his father was in the merchant Navy and died at sea in WW1
Joan Dorothea Hennah was born 5 March 1921 to Joseph E Hennah and Muriel Hughes who had married in the same quarter of 1921. I haven't bought the certificate because spending a tenner just to see how long before the baby was born they married is not something I need to do ... where was I? oh yes.

Edward and Joan married in the September Quarter (june, July or August) 1939 in Caerleon. Mon. They were living at the home of Joseph and Muriel 215 Christchurch road and Edward was working at the British Aluminium Works. until he joined up in 1940. He joined the Royal Artillery.
Some time after the war Joan was admitted to St Cadoc's hospital. This was the Mental hospital for Newport and the surroundings, and she lived there for a long time.
I don't remember meeting her as a small child although my Dad said I did. I remember her being at Jackie and Robert's wedding and everyone being slightly embarrassed because they didn't know how to talk to her. that was 1965. She went back to the hospital and then was found a flat in the community and she died in 1978 and Edward died in 1986.
I still don't know if I should get the painting repaired but it was an interesting afternoon doing the rersearch.

Definitive Proof

Remember me telling you that Daniel John Guilfoyle Seymour was a little liar and he had userped his brother's name to marry for the third time while not bothering to end either of the first two marriages?

Well!

You might think that this is just me reshowing the picture from the fabled scrapbook but look at the second picture and you can see what is written on the back. This is the uniform of the Merchant Navy. We know Daniel was in the merchant service because I have showed you his registration card with a picture.

This picture was sent to Muriel, oldest child of Margaret Annie Guilfoyle and Frederic Gibbon and as you can see Daniel is calling himself Uncle Charlie. He says it was taken in 1919, well that fits with him going back to sea. I am just so pleased to have seen this picture - thank you cousin Gareth for allowing me to copy it.

 He has medals on his chest but I have no idea if he is really entitled to wear them. He does look like his mother, he has her deep-set eyes. and I can see Cousin Travis in the line of the mouth - and I think that is like his father (Daniel's not Travis')

I just couldn't wait to share these with you. I might have a couple more surprises but first I need to talk to Gareth

More pictures from the past

Our Cousin Domini has sent me some pictures of her family - parents and siblings.

Domini "rock and rolling with a family friend in Greece in 1956

Domini is the eldest child of Mary Josephine Guilfoyle and Michael Wilson. They married in 1944.
Mary Josephine is the Daughter of Charles Seymour Aaron Guilfoyle and Mary Breen who married in North Wales in 1914.
Charles Seymour Aaron Guilfoyle is the youngest son of Charles John Guilfoyle Seymour and Elizabeth "Bessie" Nathan.
" Aaaah" I hear you say, "That's the connection".

Domini and Anthony

 Yes, it is and if you are really interested I can send you a PDF version of the family tree and you can see for yourselves the convoluted twists and turns of these branches. I hope some of you take me up on this offer

Mary Josephine, charleston girl

I am hoping that Domini will find time between her travels to tell us more about her and her family. She has children, but she hasn't given me details yet - not that I am pushing you understand, but I am just .............. curious, yes that's it I am curious. I am NOT being nosey I just want to make the family tree more complete OK?

Mary Josephine with Domini

 Can you see any family likeness? I can, but I could be just wishing it. There is a certain bone structure that seems to shine through. Until now I have assumed it comes from the Bessie Nathan side but now I realise that I need to know more about the Guilfoyle side. This means tackling the Irish roots and I simply don't know where to start.

Wedding picture of Michael Wilson and Mary Josephine Guilfoyle 1944

 I believe Charles John Guilfoyle was born around 1850, give or take a year or two. Official registration of births didn't begin in Ireland until the 1870s and my searches for the baptism of a Charles John with a father called Daniel have not found anything but that could be because of several reasons
a) I am not looking in the right place
b) Catholic registers have not been digitised for every parish in Ireland.
c)I am useless at finding stuff

Tim and Anthony

Tim, Domini, Deidre, Anthony at Blarney Castle

With a bit of luck something will allow me to find a small kernel of information and that will open the flood gates.
Enjoy the pictures and let me know if you want a copy of the family tree

Photos from 1976

I am just going to name the people in each picture. From left to right in each picture

First Row: Peter Gibbon, Michael Smith (seated), Mark Smith (seated), Alan McDade (tiny child in blue top
Next Row: Richard Gibbon (blue sweater), Brenda Baggott (Yellow top), Debra Cox nee Baggott (red top), Muriel Baggott, Louisa Duckham, Pat Duckham with Gareth Duckham in front of her, Joan Gibbon nee McDade with Kerry Gibbon in front of her, Phyllis Gibbon with Rhona Gibbon in front of her, Fred Gibbon.
Back Row: Leonard Baggott, Peter McDade, John Duckham, Bernard Gibbon, Dennis Gibbon, Russell Gibbon

 Louisa Duckham with Gareth held tightly in front of her, Richard Gibbon, Peter Gibbon Debra Cox nee Baggott with Mark Smith racing across in front of her, Andrea Roberts nee Smith with Alan McDade in front of her, Michelle Jones, Kerry Gibbon, Matthew Jones, Sarah Jones, Hilmer Carlson with Mary Carlson nee Gibbon in front of him

 Front row: Michael Smith in the go cart. Mark Smith, Gareth Duckham, Kerry Gibbon, Rhona Gibbon
Next Row:Marjorie Gibbon, Louisa Duckham, Pat Duckham, Ann Macey nee Gibbon, Yvonne Jones nee Carlson holding Matthew Jones, Phyllis Gibbon.
Back Row: Debra Cox nee Baggott, Leonard Baggott, John Duckham, Russell Gibbon, Mary Carlson, Dennis Gibbon, Hilmer Carlson, Joan Gibbon nee Dwyer, Richard Gibbon

 Richard Gibbon with Mark Smith on his back, Peter Gibbon, Andrea Roberts nee Smith with Alan McDade on her shoulders, Debra Cox nee Baggott, Sarah Jones, Michelle Jones

 Joanna Graham nee Jeffries, Val Jeffries nee Gibbon, Paul Carlson

 Back row: Paul Carlson, Ann Carlson nee Pinnell, Colin Carlson
Front row: Mark Smith, Peter Gibbon, Andrea Smith

 Michael Smith, Richard Gibbon, Mark Smith, Andrea Roberts nee Smith

 Seated Peter Gibbon, Michael Smith, Richard Gibbon, Andrea Roberts
Standing The shoulder of Ann Carlson, The back of Bernard Gibbon, Marjorie Gibbon

 You should know these faces by now

 Standing: Ann Carlson, Joan Gibbon nee McDade, Marjorie Gibbon, Ann Macey nee Gibbon

 The look on my face says someone is not behaving

 Peter blowing out the candles for his 12th birthday

 See that blue and white china? it all got smashed when the dresser fell over in their new house

Richard Gibbon, Paul Carlson Andrea Roberts nee Smith, Michael Smith, Mark Smith, Peter Gibbon.

These pictures have been hiding in an album in Peter's home for the last 40 years and now, with today's technology we can all share them. If anyone has any other pictures of these two days could you consider sharing them with us. If you have any family group pictures I would love to see them too and then to share them here and in the newsletter

Memory Making - to the next Generation

Last night we attended a Promise Ceremony. Miss Boo made her Promise as a Girl Guide. This was made even more special by the fact that her Mum is the Guide Leader for the Company and this unit was started because there was nowhere for the girls to go when they were too old for Brownie Guides.

 I was so proud of both of them.

 It was made even more poignant by the memories this evoked. You see Waaaay back in 1975 when Andrea was ten She moved up from Brownies to Guides and was thrilled to be leaving me behind. I was an assistant leader for the Brownies.. Two weeks later I had a phone call from the District Commissioner telling me that if I didn't take over the Guides then it would close.
Andrea was distinctly annoyed by this but my good friend Viv agreed to help and we had an arrangement that I would be the one to talk to her daughters and she would talk to mine. As the Leader I was the one to stand in front of them while they made their promise.

 There was home made cake! Made by Andrea and really delicious. Trefoil shaped because of the Girl Guide badge. and a perfect shade of Guide blue

Seeing Miss Boo Standing beside her mother helping her and watching as she made her promise meant that all those happy times at meetings and at camp came flooding back. So special. So proud of my Girl Guides

Some pictures of New Cousins

This is so exciting. Allow me to introduce our newly connected cousin Dale Reed HERLING, and his family. Dale is the son on Harry Lewis Edward Holder. He is married to Evelyn and they have a daugher Wendy. 

Evelyn Herling, Dale Herling, Kevin Krause, Wendy Krause

 It is through Wendy and the marvels of Ancestry DNA that we have connected. Wendy is married to Kevin KRAUSE and they have a daughter Breanne.

Breanne Krause

 More beautiful ladies connecting to our family. I think I have worked this out correctly to see where the generations connect Dale is the same generation as Travis, Roxanne, Renaye, Pat (Alice's daughter) and me! So Wendy is the generation of my children and .............. well you get the picture.

Wendy Herling Krause, Breanne Krause, Keving Krause

And what a delightful picture this one is. I am sure that our other newly connected cousin Kesha and the rest of that branch will be thrilled to know that this family continues to expand.
On behalf of all your cousins spread across the world I would like to say Welcome Dale and family, we have found you and we don't intend losing you again.

Holding in my hot little hand

I have pictures of our newly connected cousins. There will be more but just this one will have to do for now

Let me introduce you to Kesha and her husband David with their oldest daughter T, daughter L. and youngest son D2. There is an eldest son D1 too. I am reluctant to name children on this open access intarwebby thingy.

Anyhow, Isn't this a fabulous picture and aren't we lucky to have such good looking relatives? I am so excited and can't wait to get an edition of the Gazette out to everyone because ...... wait for it ..... there ought to be a drum roll here

I have a copy of Bessie Hope's autobiography - yup, in my hot little hands as we speak. Well lying next to the keyboard really but you get the gist of it yeah?

I am delighted to tell you that she inherited the lying gene and I can't wait to share it with you all. There are ten handwritten pages and I intend transcribing them and serialising it in the gazette. I also have copies of the pictures from the scrap book - and now, perhaps we can get to the bottom of the picture of what looks like a football team. More of that in the gazette.

For now let's just sit and be thankful for this here intarwebby for connecting us to Kesha and her lovely family and bringing our strange and disfunctional family together.

Another newly connected Cousin

First a picture of being eight years old and living by the sea. Isn't that just wonderful? Seeing my Grandson Matthew thoroughly enjoying himself dashing in and out of the water, just amazing.

 Then we move on to Wednesday morning when we stopped in Morrisons in Rhyl for coffee and to say cheerio to Patricia and Ela. We spent Tuesday afternoon and evening with them and we simply never stopped talking. I am sure that Patricia was wondering why I kept on staring at her. It is because she looks so like Cousin Pam in Australia.

We came home from North Wales and I sat down on Saturday to go through the emails stacked up in my inbox. To my absolute delight there was a message from someone called Kesha Pugh. She says she is a 4xgreat granddaughter of Bessie Nathan. She has seen the scrapbook that Bessie Hope was given that belonged to Bessie Nathan and says she has lots of information about family stuff.

A pause while I connected the dots and she has to be descended from Alice and her daughter Pat. I don't think Alice had any other children but I am open to correction. If the number of greats is correct then Kesha has two more generations between her and Pat so that puts her on the same generation level as........................... my head hurts now ................. my great grand children Anwyn, Bleddyn and Alma. I hope for pictures.

Just before we went away I connected with Wendy Herlinge Krause who is descended from Harry Edward Lewis Holder. She was away from home when we connected and she will be bringing me up to speed with her family story and I hope for pictures.

Don't you all just love this family? Just when you think the tree is nearly sorted a new shoot appears and we haven't gone back that many generations yet. I must make a concerted effort to find stuff about the siblings of Bessie Nathan AND find out more about the Irish family connection and Charles John Guilfoyle.................... That should be really exciting LOL

Getting those stories collected

Ann, Cousin Sandy and Emily

We have all heard the "family stories". You know the ones about "OH Gran was an actress" or "we have a Spanish Jewess in our family" or even "Well Grandma Bessie was married about five times I think". The time has come for those little snippets of our history to be gathered together. I think I will be finding a way to get the PDF files of back issues of the Gibbon Gazette uploaded somewhere.
Do you remember that Cousin Colin gave us a website and we did diddley squat with it? UHhuh, well we could have had a place where we could dum put all such things and also upload pictures. Instead we all waited for someone else to do it. Seems like it is going to be me but some of you younger ones had better consider stepping up because I am 70 - nearly 71 and half of my first cousins are older!!!

In the mean time I will just say that Cousin Roxanne has connected us to a new member of our family. Descended from Bessie Hope Seymour and Harry Holder. There will be more details in the next Gazette. I'll just say that her name is Wendy and she lives in the Pacific North West.

What I need you all to do is to get out the old photographs and see if you can remember any stories that your parents told you about them. Then you contact me - email, messenger, facebook or even that old fashioned thing called the telephone. My email and my phone number are both on the back of the latest gazette.

So go on! What are you waiting for? you tell me and I'll write it.

Harriet Guilfoyle

Is this Harriet?

OK family it has taken me a while but I had it in my mind that this was a picture of a young Bessie Nathan - it very well could be - but during the course of a sleepless night I was going through the information we have gained recently and I thought................ well, let's try to explain

Bessie Hope

Bessie Nathan passport photo

Bessie had a scrapbook in which she kept her reviews and cuttings and some pictures. A couple of portraits of Charles GS in costume, A couple of pictures of her youngest daughter Bessie Hope when she was already living in the USA. A picture of a sailor that has turned out to be her eldest son Daniel

The eyes are Bessie's but the shape of the face isn't quite right and the mouth is slightly different.

"She must have been very young", I thought, "unless it is Harriet" fell into my mind. I didn't get up and come down stairs to look at the picture as it was 3am and Mr M was asleep. I would appreciate any feedback on this. I have no idea how we will ever prove it unless Pat, daughter of Alice responds to my letter and shares the scrapbook again. It is so frustrating to be so far away. I would be on her doorstep there in San Diego, demanding to see the bloomin' thing if it wasn't for the long plane journey to get there.

One day

Chasing the Children of Daniel Guilfoyle Seymour

note the place of birth and the nearly correct date

Today I received two of the three certificates I ordered last week. The John Seymour that was born in 1911 is, as far as I can tell, not ours. The mother's name is not one that we know but we cannot be sure that old Danny-Boy wasn't in Yorkshire  at the appropriate time and calling himself Charles.

The second certificate is for Herrman Edward born 1st May 1910 at 106 Eascott Hill, Swindon Father Daniel Seymour, Mother Luisa Emily Seymour formerly Braun. Father's occupation is Retail Dealer.
Interestingly the registration was made by Luisa and we know that Karl Benjamin was also registered by Luisa so I think it unlikely that she didn't register "Arthur". I think we just haven't found the real names she gave him.

I continue the chase!!

Cousin Colin

Colin Carlson, aka The Lord Admiral Bluefunnel Died today. Thursday 6th October 2016.

Charles GS and his reviews in South Africa

The Natal Witness 8 June 1877.

Mr Guilfoyle Seymour as Hamlet, had already given us a taste of his mettle quite sufficient to whet our appetite and increase our anxiety to see his impersonation of Othello; and, notwithstanding the fact that there are very few, even of our greatest actors, who succeed in both characters, we were most pleased with his Othello.
At first he is rather cold but from the moment when Iago begins to whisper doubts of Desdemona into his ears, until the closing of the play, his rendering of the different phases of the evil effects of the 'green ey'd monster' with occasional moments of doubt and reproach for so doing is very grand and completely carried his audience with him.

Now here's a funny thing...

Emily first day at St Joseph's

Kyra first day at St Joseph's

This morning my favourite Son-in-Law sent me a picture of Emily in her school uniform just before she left to catch the bus to her fist day at St Joseph's High School. I oohed a bit because our girl was suddenly old enough to travel across town to school instead of across the road, and then I went on Facebook.

The first thing I saw was The picture that Kathryn Chambers had put up of her youngest daughter in her school uniform just before leaving to go to St Joseph's High School.

Just to keep you all straight about the relationship between these two beautiful young ladies, they are third cousins.

Emily is descended from Frederic Gibbon, Bernard Gibbon, Ann Macey, Andrea Roberts

Kyra is descended from Frederic Gibbon, Mary Carlson, Jackie Poole, Kathryn Chambers.

I do hope they get a chance to meet up in school, but girls, don't worry if you don't become close friends, it doesn't matter as long as you remember that you are family and watch each other's backs.

This is not the first time cousins have been in the same school several years ago at the first family reunion Rebecca and Lucy Carlson were quite surprised to see Kerry Ann and Hannah Smith because they knew each other in school but didn't know they were cousins.

Godd luck and best wishes to all cousins who are starting back to school in the next week or so. Enjoy this time and work hard, you will be rewarded

How did Charles GS and Bessie Nathan Meet?

This was something Pamela and I discussed during our weekend of discovery. Ever since I found out that Bessie had been to South Africa with the Company run by Captain Disney Roebuck I have been convinced that this is where they met. I had already found Charles GS on a passenger list going to South Africa and I have an image of his advertisement sending good wishes to his friends in the diamond fields, so it was a strong possibility that they had met there as the dates seemed to fit together.

Today, 27th August 2016, I have received some cuttings from the Natal Witness. There are three separate items for three dates Friday 1st June 1877, Saturday April 8 1878, and Nov 27th 1878.

This gives us a lot of information.

The first thing it does is date this picture. On Monday 28th May 1877 Charles Guilfoyle Seymour gave a performance as Hamlet. The review tells us this. So this picture, taken by Kitsch Brothers, Durban, Natal Must have been taken around that time.

The review spends several column inches displaying the reviewers knowledge of the play and discussing whether Hamlet was mad or not, before telling us about the performance.

"We should judge that Mr Guilfoyle Seymour, to whose care the part of the Prince of Denmark was entrusted on Monday, inclines to the sane theory which has the advantage, so far as simplicity is concerned. Hamlet, As Mr Seymour reads the part, is oppressed enough by the death of his father and the hasty re-marriage of his mother; but he is free from those darker mental clouds with regard to himself and everything else in the world, to which some well known actors have accustomed us. Viewing the part in this light, Mr Seymour's effort was decidedly praiseworthy, and if he failed to rise into any very high region of tragic acting, he at least suceeded in keeping up an equable tone throughout, and avoiding those pitfalls (and there are not a few of them scattered up and down through the play) into which unwary young actors are so liable to fall..."

Bessie was in the same production:

"Miss Bessie Nathan made up well into a pert and somewhat juvenile Rosencrantz..."

On Tuesday 29th May The company performed W.S. Gilbert's Pygmalion and Galatea and the same reviewer had this to say.

"Mr George Yates made a good Leucippe - the honest soldier whose love for Pygmalion's sister Myrine (Miss Bessie Nathan) forms a sort of sub-plot...."

The review continues

"The after piece was the Irish Comic Drama entitled "Handy Andy" - a piece in which the plot, if it can be called a plot at all, is merely used as a peg upon which to hang the extraordinary mistakes and vagaries of an untutored Irish peasant lad in his attempts to discharge the duties of a gentleman's servant. Of course these are laughable enough, but we must confess the utter dulness and stupidity of the whole piece in every other respect seemed to go very far towards neutralizing the amusement caused by Mr Guilfoyle Seymour's delineation of Hibernian characteristics.

The Natal Witness of Nov 27th 1877 tells us that "The Roebuck Company have been performing in Capetown to poor houses. From Cape Papers we see that Miss Bessie Nathan has sued Capt. Roebuck for £15. 8s for part salary, stopped by him. The defendant alleged that the plaintiff was entitled to only half salary while travelling or ill. Judgement was given for the plaintiff, less five shillings fine. A portion of the company, including Miss Nathan, Miss Young, Messrs Yates and Thorne with Mr Wilson as manager for Captain Roebuck, proceed to the Diamond fields to join the company there. They play various towns by the way."

Natal Witness Saturday April 8 1878

"...... Mr Seymour and Mrs Seymour (Bessie Nathan), have seceded from the Roebuck Company at the Diamond Fields. Captain Roebuck is with the other portion of the company at Capetown. Miss Hilda Temple is performing with them. It is expected they will come on to Natal in a few weeks."

Now I have to try and find out if the apparent marriage actually happened in South Africa or whether Mr and Mrs Seymour were simply telling people this because they had been ... getting to know one another.

I believe that the journey from South Africa to England took at least two months in those days so we know that Bessie was "with child" on her journey home. 

Goodness me I love this woman!

The trip up North

 The top picture is our Cousin Pat, daughter of Muriel, granddaughter of Margaret Annie Guilfoyle at her 80th birthday meal, with her brother Leonard and his daughter Debra. It is Debra I want you to look at because............... well look at the next picture. I am sitting at the computer with Patricia daughter of John Benjamin, son of John Daniel Guilfoyle. Debra and Patricia have inherited the same genes - yes?

Colin took this picture after watching us for half an hour and he said we had been usinh our hands and moving our heads in the same way for all that time.

I have to say right now that from the moment we met face to face it was as though there had never been a time before we met. even though I have a south Wales accent and their's is Liverpool and surrounding area. Even though we use different words in different places  we were finishing each others sentences and taking thoughts out of each other's heads.
There was one moment when we recognised together what we were both going to say so we laughed and carried on ... without actually saying it

Next to Patricia is her daughter Pamela, the one who saw the picture I put onto the British-Genealogy forum and realized that the Daniel Seymour that was her great grandfather is the John Daniel Seymour I had been tracking through the register offices.

Colin says it was spooky watching us three together. I think he should be used to it by now. He's seen it working at every family gathering.

On Sunday Pamela and her husband Paul ( oh gosh he is just lovely and fits into this family like a hand in a glove) and Colin and I met up with cousin Richie, son of Dennis Gibbon, and his gorgeous wife Dolores for Sunday lunch. Once again you simply could not imagine us never knowing one another. The time flew by and we eventually remembered to order food. Then we had to move because the free car parking would be ending - it was only three hours!

Lots of hugs shared and a great reluctance to part. It was amazing to be in the presence of a punk rock star - at least Richie told us we should be amazed so we were.
Paul and Pamela WILL be coming down here to visit and as soon as we have sorted out dates I will be telling everyone.
Did we have a good time? oh you betcha! So much so that I didn't want to come home. This is me! The one that gets homesick after two days and I wanted to stay longer.
We sorted out a bit more information for the family tree and these adjustments will be made and put into the gazette. I will also be sending out an edition soon.

Now I have some stuff to move into the fornow room so that Pamela and Paul will have somewhere to sleep!

We're off to meet the cousins!

Tomorrow we climb into our shiny car and head north to put the word on the street............ sorry, just a quote from my most all-time favourite film, The Blues Brothers.

We leave YS behind to take care of the house and water the tomatoes. He usually does things while we are away. In February he stripped and redecorated the downstairs loo and shower room so heaven knows what he will do in the four days we are up north.

We go to Southport to meet the newly discovered cousins and to meet up with Cousin Richie and his lovely lady Dolores. So that's Saturday ( showing Ela and Patricia the family tree and digging further into the roots of this family) and Sunday sorted. I suspect there will be hugging - or cwtching as we say round yer, lots of cwtching I will make sure there are pictures taken and a report filed both on here and in the special edition of the email Gazette.

Monday we travel to Colwyn Bay to see Eldest Son and family. There will also be pictures from this as I am sure that sweet baby has grown and his youngest son is now a year older.

Now I am going to sort out the bags and pack enough underwear and T-shirts to see me through to next Wednesday............... OH, oh that is very nearly one of the things in every John Landis film.

Newly Discovered Cousins!

Some of you may have heard a loud, high-pitched shriek earlier this week and wondered if it was an air-raid warning. No it was just me and our new found cousins connecting through www.british-genealogy.com

 You might remember that I rediscovered this picture and wondered who it was.
I put it onto Brit-Gen and asked the experts what the uniform was. I am delighted to say that it was discussed and it appears to be a British Petty Officer's uniform and the star on the collar indicates the type of job he was doing. Either Cook, Steward, Wireless or something like that.



I had sort of deduced that it could be one of the sons of the real Uncle Charlie, both of whom died in WW2 and then there was another post on the thread with the next picture and the poster said that this was her Granddad's Dad - making him her great grandad Daniel Seymour



This Daniel Seymour was married to Luisa Braun and had been lost at sea in the early 1920s

I sat for ages in front of the computer, scrolling up and down the thread, not really believing my eyes.

Let me introduce you to the man that began live in December 1878 at 125 London Road, Southwark, London. The name his grandfather registered him under was John Daniel Guilfoyle Seymour. John for his maternal Grandfather, Daniel for his paternal Grandfather and the Guilfoyle-Seymour surname because this was the name that Charles Guilfoyle-Seymour used as his stage name.

This is the man that I have long called "the false Uncle Charlie because he borrowed his brother's name when he "married" for the third time. A bit more searching and I found his Merchant Seaman's record card - with a picture. He lies about his birthplace on there, saying that he was born in a) London Australia and b) Koolgartie W.A.
These records say he was 5'6 1/2" tall with brown eyes and black hair and a dark complexion - so he has inherited the olive skin that I have. It says that he is British and his father is Irish.

There is a third record amongst these MN cards for a Charles Daniel Guilfoyle who was, apparently, born in London Canada in 1881. The photograph tells me that it is the same man.

I sent a message to the person who posted the new picture and eventually modern technology allowed us to talk via Skype, Pamela - Ela I think of her - had her Mum, Patricia, with her and we sat staring into our screens and being amazed at the family likeness. Patricia told me that Daniel and Luisa had five children, one of whom died as an infant. That Daniel had been at sea for most of their marriage and she had either gone with him or had found lodgings in his next port of call and waited for him until the last time when he said "get a house in Liverpool, this is a bad ship I don't want you to come on this one." She got the house and waited and he was "lost at sea". We know that what he actually did was "marry" Fani in 1920 and in 1924 he immigrated into New York and spent the rest of his life being Charles John Daniel Guilfoyle in Nesconset, New York State. He is buried there with Fani

Pamela sent me this picture of her Grandfather John Benjamin Seymour, Son of Daniel and Luisa. Once again that family likeness is plain to see.

Oh how I wish this family had been more communicative, although Daniel would have had to keep his family unaware of the fact that he had married twice more after his Spanish Bride.

Patricia said that Luisa could not speak English, she was born in Germany, and she was afraid to make too much fuss about his disappearance incase she was deported or something


The last picture is of Luisa on her 100th birthday. Isn't that wonderful? She outlived Daniel by about 20 years I think. The gentleman second from the right is John Benjamin and the other gentleman is his brother

I will be adding more information as we get to know each other.